Attachment for musical instruments.



PATBNTED NOV. 14, 1905.

J. SAUER.

ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.23, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

No. 804,553. PATENTES Nov. 1A, 1905. J. SAUEN. ATTACHMENT TOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.23. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application led March Z3, 1905. Serial N0. 251,544.

" To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SAUER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Millvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. This invention has relation to attachments for musical instruments, and has for its object the provision of a novel device adapted to be attached to a stringed instrumentsuch as a guitar, banjo, or the like-the device being adapted to facilitate the playing of such instruments and resembling in some respects the well-known autoharp-that is, it is so constructed and arranged that upon the depression of a singlelkey aplurality of strings will be stopped" simultaneously, so that when played upon a musical chord will be produced.

In carrying my invention into e'i'ect I provide a case which is adapted to be applied to the finger-board and neck of a stringed instrument-such as a guitar, mandolin, banjo, or the like-and in this case I arrange a number of levers each of which is provided with a plurality of stops, the stops on each lever being adapted to contact with a plurality of the strings of the instrument, so as to stop these strings at such points that when the stopped strings are played upon a chord will be sounded. Each of these levers is provided with a key, by means of whichit may be depressed, these keys being equal in number to the scale of the instrument.

I have illustrated my improvement in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a stringed instrument having my improvements applied thereto. Fig, 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line .fr of Fig. 1 looking toward the body of the instrument. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line y y of Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a portion of the case shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the top ol' the case removed. Fig. 6 is a horizontal rsectional view of the attachment shown in Figs. 1 and 3- on an enlarged scale. Figs. 7 and 8 are detached views in perspective of parts of the attachment.

In the several figures of the drawings like numerals of reference designate correspond- .of the ordinary character.

ing parts, and 1 designates the body of the instrument,which is provided with six strings, (numbered 2 3 4 5 6 7 these strings extending to a head 8, where they are Wound around keys, (indicated, respectively, 9 10 11 12 13 14.) The strings are stretched over the fingerboard 15, which is supported upon the neck 16, the instrument so far as described being Upon the neck and linger-board of the instrument I mount my improved attachment, which is contained within the casing 17, said casing being of such length as to extend Jfrom the top 1 to the head 8 and of such height as to permit of the arrangement therein over the strings of certain appliances, to be hereinafter described,. vby means of which the strings are stopped at proper points to produce the desired effect. The casing 17 has its ends cut away to accommodate the neck 16 and the finger-board 15 and is secured in position by means of a plurality of bands 1S, which are pivoted at 19 to the bottom of the casing and extend at their opposite end under keepers 20, arranged on the bottom ofI the instrument opposite to the pivotal points of the bands 1S. l/Vithin the casing 17 is arranged a rod 21, which is supported at one end in a bracket 22, mounted on the bottom of the casing, and at its other end is supported in the outer end of the casing. Upon the rod 21 are pivotally mounted a plurality of frames. These frames are of two kinds, one of them being shown in Fig. S of the drawings. The frame shown in Fig. 7 is composed of three parallel bars or levers 2" 24 25, which are united by a cross-piece 26, having a central extension 27, carrying a vertical rod 28, on the top of which is a key 29. The ends of the bars or levers 23 24 25 are pierced for the passage of the rod 21, and the cross-bar 26 is provided With a plurality of slots 30, which are intended to receivel the bars or levers of the frame shown in Fig. 8. The frame shown in Fig. S is composed of the two parallel bars or levers 31 32, united at one end by the curved cross-piece 33, and this frame is provided with a vertical rod 34, on the top of which is a key 35, and the ends of the bars 31 32 are pierced for the passage of the rod 21. The bars 23 24 25 are provided, respectively,with integral lugs 36 37 38, these lugs being so located that they are adapted to bear respectively on three of the strings of the instrument and constitute stops by means of which the strings are pressed down upon the iinger- IOO IIO

board 15, so as to stop three of the strings at such points in their lengths as will result in the production of a chord when. these strings are plucked by the fingers in the usual manner. The bar 82 oi' the frame shown in Fig. S is provided with a similar lug 39, and the bar 31 is provided with two lugs 40 41, the function of these lugsbeing the same as that of the lugs on the lower edges of the bars 23 24 25. Three of the frames shown in Fig. 7 are arranged in the casing, the keys of these frames being for the purpose of easily distinguishing them numbered 29 29 29, and there are twenty-eight ofthe frames shown in Fig. 8 also arranged within the casing.

Each of the frames shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is maintained in an elevated position by a spring 42, and the vertical rods 28 and 34 project through slits 43 in the top of the casing 17, the vertical rods being otl different lengths, so that the keys 29 and 35 on top of the samewill be in banks of varying elevation, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Each of the keys of each oi' the frames can be separately depressed, and they can of course be simultaneously depressed, so as to stop the strings and produce any note within range of the scale of the instrument or any desired chord, it being noted that when a key is depressed by plucking a single string a single note will be produced g but by plucking all the strings which have been stopped by the several lugs on the bars actuated by this key a chord will be produced, and by various manipulations of the several keys in the manner well known to musicians either an area composed of single keys successively sounded or a succession of chords, or both together, may be produced. It is not necessary to enter into the details oi' the arrangement of the keys and to particularly point out what note or notes can be produced on the instrument by the manipulation of the several keys, as this arrangement is well known to musicians and those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains. The frames which are moved by the keys 29 29 29 are mainly intended to effect the stopping of the bass-strings of the instrument, while the stopping of the treble-strings is mainly eected by the depression of the keys oi the frames shown in Fig. S.

The manner of playing the instrument provided with my attachment is as follows: The instrument being held in the usual manner, the left hand of the musician will be used to depress the several keys and the right hand used to pluck the strings. 1f it is desired to play a single note, one of the keys, which will stop the appropriate string at the proper point, is depressed, so as to cause the lug on the frame belonging to that key to press firmly on the string and press the string against the finger-board. The string is then plucked or otherwise manipulated, so as to cause it to sound and the desired note produced. To produce a chord of desired character, one or more of the keys is depressed, so as to stop the proper strings at the proper points, and these strings are plucked simultaneously.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casing, means 'for attaching the casing to the neck of a stringed instrument, a rod mounted within said casing, a plurality of double-armed frames piv otally mounted on said rod, both arms of said yframes extending transversely across all the strings of the instrument, lugs carried by said arms and adapted to contact with the strings of the instrument, rods carried by said frames and extending through the to ol said casing, and keys mounted on said ro s, substantially as described.

2. In a device o'f the character described, the combination of a casing, means for attaching said casing to the neck of a stringed instrument, frames pivotally mounted in said casing, each frame comprising two arms and a vertically-slotted cross-piece, 4frames pivotally mounted in the casing, each having a plurality of arms and each arm being provided with a lug adapted to contact with one of the strings of the instrument, the arms ol said last-named frames moving in the slots of the cross-bar of the 'Iirst-na'med frames, and said frames being provided with rods exe tending through the top of the casing, said rods carrying keys.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casing, and means 'lor attaching the casing to the neck of a stringed instrument, of a plurality of three armed 'frames having slotted cross-bars, said 'frames being pivotally mounted in the casing, and provided with operating-keys, and the arms thereof being provided with lugs adapted to contact with the strings of the instrument, a plurality of 'frames each pivotally mounted between the arms of the iirst-named frames, said last-named frames being provided with a plurality of arms and with lugs on said arms adapted to contact with the strings of the instrument and being provided with operatingkeys, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof l allix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH SAUER. l/Vitnesses:

E. E. POTTER, H. C. EvERT.

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